Album number two from multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, vocalist and occasional session man Dave Rawlings, like with his previous DRM recording A Friend Of A Friend he has recording, tour and songwriting partner Gillian Welch on vocals, guitar and drums plus close friend former Old Crow Medicine Show act Willie Watson (vocals, guitar), Britanny Haas (fiddle), Paul Kowert (bass, vocals) and Jordan Tice add mandolin to epic recording piece “The Trip”.
All songs are written by Rawlings and Welch (new recipients of Americana Music Association’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement In Songwriting Award); like with everything they do they are not only different, and on another level to most but hugely innovative in their recording style. Rawlings’ inspirational guitar has spells but it never takes over from the ‘band’ as they serve up seven songs. One above mentioned “The Trip” at a fraction under 11 minutes isn’t only the longest song but most captivating. As the tale unfolds; ‘people get on trains and don’t know where they are going’, and speaks of a picture of an old black man in a beaver cap, skeletons dancing, and what is a marriage if it can’t stand kitchen heat as he encourages us to take a trip because it is always harder to live a life at home, because, as he says ‘your harmonica is blown, denim shirt is ragged and dirty collar frayed’.
Ever busy, the songs are propelled in terrific fashion as Rawlings (guitar, mandolin) with the help of Kowert more often than not drop anchor for Welch, Watson and Haas to follow, and though the opening track “The Weekend” doesn’t offer anything luxurious the unit hit the groove in following track “Short Haired Woman Blues”. From then on in don’t waver an inch! So addictive is the music, despite some almost lasting six and eight minutes once placed on my player wild horses couldn’t pull me away. The more I hear them the stronger the bond, and with such lyrics ‘hair cut like some farm boy’ (on the above) and countless on the peerless “The Trip” as in hypnotic fashion he recalls images of yesteryear. With “Bodysnatchers” next up the DRM eases out of the station into the night with a likewise ease, and though less the wondrous story-telling imagery of the former. Maybe this is due to the vocals, sometimes a little high pitched for his range, but this put right on the mid-paced, harmony vocals drenched bustling “The Last Pharaoh” and fiddle, finger-picked guitar exquisite old time fashioned “Candy”; superb! This record just gets better. Bright and lilting “Candy” drenched in smartly picked guitar (Rawlings), snappy lead and harmony vocals and fiddle it leans itself towards something Norman and Nancy Blake might have done. Exquisite.
“Pilgrim (You Can’t Go Home)” with Rawlings on mandolin, and both Welch and Watson providing choice harmony vocals it rounds off the album in style. Though I would have loved another entire disc, I guess I’m going to settle for Nashville Obsolete until the next Gillian Welch record comes around. Maybe I am about to experience the London bus effect, you never know. You can’t blame a man for dreaming.
Maurice Hope